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STRONGSVILLE -- Just two days before Kevin Allen gunned down his wife and daughter on her 10th birthday, Allen's wife went to the Strongsville police station to voice concerns about verbal altercations he was having with her.

According to police records the Investigator Tom Meyer reviewed, Katherina Allen said there was an incident on Easter Sunday and she left home with the kids. She told police she wanted to return to get some belongings, but her husband said that if she returned, he would keep the children.

Police say Katherina did not complain about being physically abused and told police she did not want them to escort her home. She said she simply wanted the shouting matches on record.

Kevin Allen had a history of domestic violence. In 1995, he tried to kill his second wife, Janice, by smothering her with a pillow. Police reports say he held a pillow over her face for about two minutes. Janice was able to escape by pulling on his hair until he let go.

She complained to Kirtland police that this was the second time he tried to suffocate her and no longer wanted him with her in the home.

Kevin Allen was convicted of domestic violence and spent five days in jail. The court issued a temporary protective order.

A few months earlier, police responded to another domestic call to the home. This time police say Kevin Allen was involved in a domestic violence incident involving the same ex-wife and two stepdaughters. He was convicted on a charge of menacing.

Records also show he was charged with burglary and theft in 2008 in North Royalton, but he was found not guilty of the charges.